A word of welcome

This second edition of our newsletter brings you word of the recent Workshop for Board Professionals, insights into the career paths of peers, an invitation to help promote green campuses, and resources for one of our most important responsibilities—the orientation of new trustees. Read more in an introduction to the newsletter from Louis Charpentier, chair of the Board Professionals Leadership Group.

AGB Workshop for Board Professionals:
More than 200 gather in Boston

Boston was the place to be the weekend of April 11-13, and not just because the Yankees were playing the Red Sox at nearby Fenway Park! The city provided the backdrop for fun and enrichment as more than 200 board professionals gathered to share their time and expertise with each other, and maybe to talk a little baseball. Read more...

The best job you never planned to have:
Meet five board professionals at the Boston Tea Party

This article by Linda Dixon is based on a panel presentation, “The Boston Tea Party: Liberating and Revolutionary Ideas for the Board Room,” held on April 12, 2008 at the AGB Workshop for Board Professionals in Boston. Read more...

Member spotlight

Paula Ammerman, director, board of trustees office at Pennsylvania State University, and a member of the Professional Development Committee, AGB Board Professionals Leadership Group, recently sat down for a Q & A with Anne Shaw, associate secretary of the regents, University of California, and AGB Board Professionals Leadership Group secretary.

New trustees:
Set the bar high and help them over the hurdles

New trustees should know what is expected of them and how to get started. Two articles can help you shape an orientation experience that lays the foundation for successful engagement:

• “Trustee Orientation Is Only the Start of Ongoing Education and Engagement,” by Louis Charpentier, Trusteeship, Jan/Feb 2008
• “Bringing Trustees Up to Speed Fast,” by Dawn Brill Duques, Trusteeship, May/June 2008

You may also wish to order this Board Basic: “New Trustee Orientation: A Guide for Independent (or Public) Colleges and Universities,” by Richard T. Ingram, AGB Board Basics, 2006

Tips ’n Tricks

Online resources make it easy to find what you need

AGB's Online Library at the Zwingle Library and Resource Center is a menu-driven database giving you access to sample documents such as bylaws and policies, Trusteeship articles, and other documents. Lorette Weldon introduces you to this higher education governance information at your fingertips...

From the field

Update from public institutions

There is growing impetus from Congress, accrediting agencies, and the Department of Education for institutions of higher education to be more accountable about their academic, administrative, and student processes and outcomes. Marc Schaeffer describes how the Voluntary System of Accountability (VSA) can help achieve those objectives...

Additions to the Board Professionals Leadership Group

Meet the new members, officers, and committee chairs for the 2009 Board Professionals Leadership Group...

News you can use

ISO two environmentally friendly board professionals

Have you been part of successful sustainability initiatives? Are you interested in mentoring others? If so, you'll be interested in Rich Novak's piece on the Sustainability Fellows Program...

AGB's new service for achieving high performance

AGB has developed a new service for trustees and institutions that are functioning well, but wish to take their college, university or system to a higher level of performance...